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WITandWISDOM(tm) - December 29, 2003 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go. - Jeanette Rankin (1880-1973) Pacifist and politician Source: Bits & Pieces, Copyright (c) Economic Press, Inc http://www2.ragan.com/html/main.isx?sub=226 Submitt ed by Barbara Henry ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Frustrated by Catherine of Aragon's inability to produce a male heir, King Henry divorced her and married Anne Boleyn. The church opposed the divorce and delayed approving the new marriage. The king put pressure on Parliament to pass the Act of Succession, which would transfer the royal lineage from Catherine's children to Anne's. The members of Parliament, with various degrees of enthusiasm, ultimately went along - all except Sir Thomas More. More paid a high price for his faithfulness to principle. One by one the members of Parliament agreed, the will of the king being more important than their own principles. King Henry watched the signatures on the document, hoping to see Thomas More's consent; Mores reputation for integrity was well known. On the other hand, his colleagues were known for compromise. King Henry was not always intent on doing right, but he always wanted to be declared right. More's approval would have helped to silence the king's conscience. Instead, More's silence pricked the king's comfort and disturbed his peace. The king confined More in a filthy dungeon. His income was cut off. His family were reduced to a mean existence. While the king waited for More's signature to approve the Act of Succession, England watched. More held out for two years, and his wife lost all patience with his unyielding principles. Finally the duke of Norfolk, knowing that More's days were numbered, tried to save his life. Norfolk enters the bitter, filthy cell where, surrounded by vagabonds, brigands, thieves, and killers, sits the gentle scholar Thomas More. He is emaciated, clad in rags, shivering from the cold. Norfolk has brought the list of Parliament's signatures, all from friends and companions from law and life. He begs More to sign it to save his life. "But Thomas, look at these names," says Norfolk. "You know these men. Can't you do what I did, and come with us, for fellowship?" More simply responds, "And when we stand before God, and you are sent to heaven for doing according to your conscience, and I am sent to hell for not doing according to mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?" More was found guilty of treason and was beheaded on July 6, 1535. His final words on the scaffold were: "The King's good servant, but God's first." Adapted from "A Man for All Seasons", by Robert Bolt, http://isbn.nu/0413703800 By J. Jerry Davis Source: Adventist Review, ISSN 0161-1119, (c) August 21, 2003, http://www.adventistreview.org/ Submitted by Mary Thayne ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: A Warning to the Un-bathed . . . If you move to Kentucky you better be prepared to bathe - at least once a year. A state law that mandates people bathe at least once in 12 months is just one of many unusual statutes that are or have been on the books. Another state law, for example, stated that "No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state unless she be escorted by at least two officers or unless she be armed with a club." The law was later amended with: "The provisions of this statute shall not apply to females weighing less than 90 pounds nor exceeding 200 pounds, nor shall it apply to female horses." Source: Peninsula Daily News, November 26, 2003, http://peninsuladailynews.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A "calendarer" is the Olde English word for one who keeps a meticulous calendar. George Ellis wrote a poem in 1751 to describe the twelve months of the year, titled - appropriately enough - "The Twelve Months." Snowy, flowy, blowy, Showery, flowery, bowery, Hoppy, croppy, droppy, Breezy, sneezy, freezy. Source: Joke For Your Day, mail to:baldmark@myexcel.com?Subject=Subscribe_Joke_For_Your_Day ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: What was the first CD? The first CD pressed in the United States for commercial release was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." Source: ArcaMax Trivia, http://www.arcamax.com |